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HAITI ELECTIONS CLOSING DIFFICULT CHAPTER IN NATION’S HISTORY—OAS

Declaring Haiti’s presidential and senatorial elections of this past February 7 “a critical and historic event,” Assistant Secretary General of the Organization of American States (OAS), Albert R. Ramdin, described the exercise as “closing a difficult chapter which emanated in part from the dispute surrounding the year 2000 legislative elections.” He urged a smooth transfer of power from the interim government to President-elect René Préval, as well as the “swift appointment of a Prime Minister and cabinet that will set the tone for a government of inclusion and broad-based consensus.”

He said, "It is imperative that the vote tabulation process for the February elections be concluded as quickly as possible, and preparations made for the holding of the second round of legislative elections before the new government takes office." Adding that it is equally critical that "the preparations for, and holding of, local and municipal elections not slip off the agenda of the Haitian authorities," the OAS official said a full return to constitutional and democratic order in Haiti will not be complete without the timely holding of elections for local representatives.

Ambassador Ramdin’s remarks came as he addressed members of the Core Group during a meeting at the United Nations Headquarters in New York Wednesday. The Core Group includes representatives of the United States, Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, and France. Those in attendance included UN Assistant Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations Hédi Annabi; Interim Prime Minister of Haiti Gérard Latortue; and the UN Secretary-General's Special Representative in Haiti, Juan Gabriel Valdés.

Pressing challenges for Haiti’s progress, he said, include the maintenance of an environment of peace and stability, of encouragement and constructive engagement, and creating a climate that is conducive for change, social and economic reconstruction and the strengthening of the state and private sector as engines for growth.

He also called on the international community to redouble their support for Haitians as the nation seeks to fully take ownership of their future and their own development. Ramdin also applauded the initiative to extend and improve the Interim Cooperation Framework as a prime mechanism for Haiti-international community cooperation and donor coordination, and noted the keen interest of the OAS in participating fully in the evolution and operations of this mechanism.

Ramdin lauded Haitians, the Interim Prime Minister and his Government, the Provisional Electoral Council, and MINUSTAH chief Juan Gabriel Valdés as well as the numerous national and international observers and others for making the elections happen. Specific successes noted were the introduction of a new electoral law and new procedures, the conducting of a massive voter registration exercise, the establishment of a national identification card and an updated, electronic voters’ data base, and the training of Haitians in electoral and registry operations.

Reference: E-036/06